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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Document on distribution of six enslaved persons owned by Elizabeth Roberts

Date
1802
Written by
John Neusville, American
William Eckells, American
Subject of
Unidentified Woman or Women
Unidentified Man or Men
Elizabeth Roberts, American, died 1802
John Roberts, American, born 1780
Signed by
Isaac Perry, American, 1780 - 1873
Benjamin Perry, American, born 1761
Edward Tonge, American
Description
A financial document (2018.43.8a) listing "Elizabeth Roberts Negroes," splitting them up by lot and divided between heirs by the executors of the estate of Elizabeth Roberts.
The document consists of handwritten black ink on both sides of a single sheet of paper.
The front of the large document notes the relationships people had with Elizabeth Roberts and their claims to her property, as well as the state and county officials involved. The back of the document names the enslaved persons with their ages, and notes how they or their equivalent monetary value should be distributed among the interested parties. The enslaved persons are listed as:
Ben, 23
Harry, 40
Hannah, 45
Philis 11,
Franny 8,
Lucy 6
Harry, Hannah, and Philis went to James Spencer, brother of Elizabeth Roberts. Ben, Franny and Lucy went to William and Eleanor Spencer, nephew and niece of Elizabeth Roberts. The accounting of the estate is dated January 22, 1802 in Charleston. The division of property is entered as February 9, 1802 in St. Paul's Parish, Colleton District of South Carolina. The document is signed by Isaac Perry, Benjamin Perry, and Edward Tonge, executors of the estate.
The document is accompanied by a smaller piece of folded paper (2018.43.8b), that served as an envelope for the document. It has handwritten text summarizing the contents of the document.
Place used
St. Paul's Parish, Colleton County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Place made
Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
American South
Business
Children
Families
Finance
Men
Slavery
U.S. History, 1783-1815
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Liljenquist Family Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Liljenquist Family
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.43.8ab
Type
documents
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (2018.43.8a): 15 15/16 × 13 in. (40.5 × 33 cm)
H x W (2018.43.8b (folded)): 8 1/16 × 3 3/8 in. (20.4 × 8.5 cm)
Title
Object Name • Document on distribution of six enslaved persons owned by Elizabeth Roberts
Record ID
nmaahc_2018.43.8ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
DOCUMENT ON DISTRIBUTION OF SIX ENSLAVED PERSONS OWNED BY ELIZABETH ROBERTS
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1800s
Name
Perry, Isaac • Roberts, Elizabeth • Eckells, William • Tonge, Edward • Neusville, John • Roberts, John • Perry, Benjamin
Place
Charleston County • Charleston • United States • St. Paul's Parish • North and Central America • Colleton County • South Carolina
Topic
Slavery • Women • American South • Finance • Men • Family • Children • Business • U.S. History, 1783-1815
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
Locale • St. Paul's Parish • County • Colleton County • State • South Carolina • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Charleston • County • Charleston County
Type
Documents
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Document on distribution of six enslaved persons owned by Elizabeth Roberts

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Glass fragment from Ground Zero collected by Elizabeth "Queen Ann" Burnett

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NMAAHC

Photograph of Laura and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

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NMAAHC

Free paper for Elizabeth Only

Date: Date

Description

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Which Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.